Eight current Hartpury College students, including six Gloucester-Hartpury players, have been included in England U18 women’s elite rugby squad ahead of this year’s U18 Women’s Six Nations Festival.
A-level students Daisy Aspinall, Freya McGinlay, Ellie Wilson, Molly Bunker, Lauren Bailey and Lucy Simpson join BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma (Rugby) student Rebecca Jackson and BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma Sport and Exercise Science student Abigail Pritchard.
A total of 35 players have been chosen after a thorough process of five invitational pathway camps and two rounds of England Rugby Centre of Excellence fixtures to start the 2023/24 season. The fourth edition of the continental tournament will be hosted from 28 March - 6 April in North Wales. The England side will use the games as a vital development tool for future international rugby ahead of a home 2025 Rugby World Cup.
Oli Wilson, Junior Women's Rugby Academy Manager at Hartpury College said: “Congratulations to all eight Hartpury College students, we’re very proud of them all. Their selection is testament to the hard work they’ve put in throughout the academic year combining their sport with their studies, and we can’t wait to follow their progress when the tournament gets underway.”
James Cooper, England U18 Women head coach said: “I’d like to thank the coaches at all of our England Rugby Centre of Excellence sites, as well as the various colleges, for their tireless efforts so far this season.
We’re equipped with a fantastic squad due to that work put in by the coaches and players, and are looking forward to putting our plans into place for our upcoming fixtures.”
The announcement adds to building Six Nations excitement around the Hartpury campus, as it looks set to be well represented in both the men’s and women’s championships once more.
Six Nations stars and Hartpury alum Louis Rees-Zammit (Wales), Seb Negri (Italy), Ellis Genge (England) and Stephen Varney (Italy) have all featured on a brand new eight-part Netflix series “Full Contact”, streaming now.
The success of these players and many more is in part down to the proven dual career pathway built into ten sports academies at Hartpury University and Hartpury College. The professional sports environment promotes and supports both academic and athletic development in student athletes. The state-of-the-art facilities, expert coaching staff and integrated academic programmes allow students to study while they train and compete.
